Summer

Kalamb (Maharashtra): Heavy rains in October and November have brought more misery to India's farmers, after summer-sown crops such as soybean, cotton, rice and vegetables suffered rain and flood damage during the wettest June-September monsoon season in 25 years. "We couldn't harvest soybeans last month due to continuous rainfall," said Shantabai Chikhale, 65, while harvesting with her son on a one acre plot in Maharashtra, India's second largest soybean production state. Chikhale had been expecting a bumper crop, but now estimates that two-thirds of the soybean pods on her farm in Kalamb village were knocked off by the rains, while much of the remaining crop has been damaged. The recent wet spell is also forcing farmers, like Chikhale, to delay sowing winter crops, placing a further drag on the rural economy at a time when India's economic growth has slumped to a six-year low. After the ample monsoon rains, The Solvent Extractors' Association (SEA) had expected India soybean harvest … [Read more...] about Untimely Rains Hit India’s Summer Crops, Delay Rural Economy Recovery

Christmas recipe searches began on taste.com.au — the country’s biggest food site — as early as August, a whole month earlier than last year. And those initial searches are up 24 per cent on 2018. But while some get ahead of the game with their planning, last-minute frenzies have also become a hallmark of the big day, as hosts strive for the perfect spread. Rebecca Sherrard getting into the spirit of Christmas in the kitchen. Picture:Justin LloydSource:News Corp Australia Last year, taste.com.au recorded its biggest day ever with 2.8 million views on December 23 as Australians searched for last-minute recipes, smashing the previous record of 2.4 million views on December 24, 2017. Taste’s newly released data also shows the top recipes Aussies are searching for this year — often with more than one variation on a dish, like ham or gingerbread; with some interesting state-by-state variations when it comes to local favourites. In NSW, the traditional … [Read more...] about Taste Top 100 Summer Fresh cookbook: Our most popular Christmas recipes revealed

'MJ', a musical based on the life and career of Michael Jackson, will open on Broadway in summer 2020. Preview performances will start on July 6 before its official debut on August 13. The stage show, which will include songs like 'Beat It,' 'Billie Jean,' 'The Way You Make Me Feel' and 'Smooth Criminal' was originally titled 'Don't Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,' until the name was recently changed to 'MJ'. 'MJ' is arriving on the Great White Way despite the release of a controversial documentary 'Leaving Neverland,' which details child sexual abuse allegations from two accusers, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who allege that Jackson groomed and took advantage of them as young boys. Jackson's family has vehemently denied such allegations, which have stemmed from multiple accusers coming forward with stories of sexual abuse occurring at Jackson's Neverland Ranch. In response to the documentary, the musical was cancelled ahead of an anticipated Chicago run. The musical is penned … [Read more...] about Michael Jackson musical to open on Broadway in summer 2020

“What happens when society fails to evolve? When, what you wear gives the right to disrespect or even an invitation to assault.” Seeking answers to such questions is the New Delhi Fashion, Spring Summer Fall Winter, a photography project by Hemant J Khendilwal and Kamal Bhatnagar. “Fashion at its core has always been about identity, but throughout its history, it has also proved to be a creative outlet in times of social unrest. Fashion is a form of art that takes cues from the fabric of society. It changes, adapts and evolves along with the times,” reads the project’s concept note. The project comprises eight strong images that show women dressed in bubble-wrap and cardboard outfits in public spaces like the bus-stop, marketplace, college canteen, cafe, gym, auto-rickshaw, at a factory, and even a library. The title, as they point out, highlights the fact that “women are insecure in our city throughout the year”. Talking about the … [Read more...] about Bubble-wrap outfits, cardboard headgear and more: A photography project works for a safe space for women

        There’s no better account of Punjab’s giant strides in agriculture than Ramesh Chand’s. The farm-policy head at state-run think-tank Niti Aayog, Chand is a native of the state that sowed India’s Green Revolution. “When we were young, nobody grew rice in Punjab,” he had told this newspaper on the sidelines of a seminar two years ago. Now, the state is the third-largest producer, the biggest exporter and largest contributor to state-held stocks. Paddy sits on close to 54% of its cropping area during peak kharif or the summer-sown season. Acreage has exploded, from just 0.2 million hectares in 1967 to nearly 3 million hectares sown in 2018-19.The boom is partly responsible for the pollution crisis that has become an annual occurrence in recent years as farmers set afire the stubble left behind after harvesting. Experts say that in addition to the increase in acreage, the timing of sowing and harvesting also adds to the … [Read more...] about How Punjab’s paddy boom hit Delhi’s air